Oregon State University is in the midst of perhaps the largest construction binge in its history.

OSU has launched $168 million in construction projects that will bring new and updated academic buildings and student centers to the Corvallis campus. The college is funding the efforts through private campaigns, student fees, state bonds earmarked toward maintenance and seismic upgrades and investments from OSU itself.

Foremost, work has begun on the $62.5 million Linus Pauling Science Center and a $52 million center that will house and help the school attract more international students. OSU has also begun work on a new health care center and outdoor recreation complex, as well as renovations to an aging campus fieldhouse.

All told, OSU has 11 ongoing projects ranging between $475,000 and the Pauling project’s costs. At any given time, the school might initiate one major project and several smaller efforts. The projects are expected to generate at least 400 jobs.

“In my 12 years, this is the busiest we’ve ever been,” said Lori Fulton, OSU’s manager of design and construction. “The faculty’s excited to get these academic buildings and the students are excited to be getting new intramural fields.”

Overall, construction jobs in the Portland metropolitan-area dropped by 11 percent between May 2009 and May 2010, to 43,800, according to Arlington, Va.-based Associated General Contractors of America. Private nonresidential construction also dropped 25 percent, and there were 3 percent fewer public construction projects. In a particularly ominous sign for commercial contractors, architectural firms laid off workers in May for the 21st time in 22 months.

Yet OSU and — to a lesser extent — other state schools are providing life jackets. The Oregon University System, which governs the state’s seven public universities, approved a measure earlier this month that would allow it to seek $1.5 billion, mostly through bonds, for deferred maintenance and capital construction projects during the 2011 legislative session.

Portland State University has three multi-million dollar projects — renovations to College Station, Lincoln Hall and an underground heating and cooling initiative — underway. The Oregon University System’s board wants to find another $83 million to renovate the Neuberger Hall academic building and $35 million for additions and renovations to PSU’s business school.

The University of Oregon is also nearly finished with its $200 million basketball arena.

“Most sectors are overbuilt, but there’s a confluence of good news around the state university system,” said Bart Eberwein, vice president for Portland-based Hoffman Construction Co. “A lot of people are going back to school, so there’s enrollment growth. The Legislature seems to have a renewed commitment to making sure our facilities are on a par with those in other states. And most campuses have projects going this summer.”

Hoffman, which billed $575 million in local jobs during 2009, is working on the $10 million Hallie Ford Center at OSU. Portland-based Fortis Construction Inc., which billed $53 million locally last year, has also landed several projects at the Corvallis campus, including the INTO-OSU Living Learning Center. The building will provide a residence hall for 350 students that includes retail spaces and facilities that serve international students.

Andersen Construction Co. landed the Pauling center job. The contract, along with its work on Kaiser’s new $250 million Hillsboro campus and jobs at the University of Washington, will help Portland-based Andersen nearly match the $316 million it billed during 2008. The company’s metropolitan Portland billings dropped from $275 million in 2008 to $185 million in 2009.

“These jobs are very important to us,” said Steve Tinney, Andersen’s director of business development. “All general contractors are struggling and looking hard for business today. OSU and higher-ed in general is a very important part of our portfolio today.”

Oregon State’s sweeping fundraising efforts have helped the school build despite the recession. It landed $20 million from the Wayne & Gladys Valley Foundation and $10.65 million from Pat Reser and her late husband, Al, to cover the cost of nearly half of Linus Pauling Science Center, the largest academic building project in OSU’s history.

For the $10 million Hallie Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families, OSU relied partly on $5 million from Ford. Shortly before she died at the age of 102, the philanthropist gave the school $10 million for the center and to create an endowment for the center’s director. State funds are supporting the rest of the project.

Student fees are backing the $7.75 million Outdoor Recreation Complex and a $3.75 million McAlexander Fieldhouse makeover.

Such funding sources have given Oregon State a leg up on other universities during the current construction season. Yet Lindsay Desrochers, PSU’s vice president for finance and administration, remains optimistic that the other colleges will start new construction once the economy recovers.

“We have certain projects we’re hoping to raise some dollars for, but we’re more modest about our goals these days,” she said.

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